Giant wombat speechless after landing Asian Cup mascot gig

The official mascot for the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 has been unveiled: A wombat called Nutmeg.

Published

11 November 2014

Nutmeg took centre stage at the Wild Life Sydney Zoo on Tuesday in the presence of Socceroos legends and Asian Cup ambassadors Mark Bosnich and Brett Emerton.

“Nutmeg is a great addition to the Asian Cup team,” said Michael Brown, CEO of the Asian Cup Local Organising Committee.

“Importantly he loves to welcome visitors from overseas – which is something I’m sure the whole country will do when we stage Australia’s biggest ever football tournament in January.

“For football lovers and people who love a big event the Asian Cup promises to be a remarkable 23-day festival of football, culminating in the final at Sydney’s Stadium Australia on January 31.

“It’s fitting that we’re surrounded here today by iconic Australian animals and landmarks to launch the mascot for this event.

“I’m sure young fans will love Nutmeg and he’ll be out and about meeting people in our host cities over the next two months as we prepare for the Asian Cup.”

According to the mascot's bio he was born in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, love football and his favourite move is the nutmeg - slipping the ball between the legs of his opponents before scoring a goal and performing outrageous celebrations.

While Nutmeg doesn’t talk he does have a Twitter account @Nutmeg_2015 where he’ll share his appearances.

I'm amazed nutmeg is able to tweet. Look at those hands. The dexterity must be unbelievable. #AC2015